Howl at the Moon 20/?
Title: Howl at the Moon 20/?
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven / Twelve / Thirteen / Fourteen / Fifteen / Sixteen / Seventeen / Eighteen /Ninteen
Chapter 20
There weren’t any problems getting to Marseilles, and onto the train that would take them to Paris.
All the passengers were beginning to settle in their seats, ready for the train to start moving, when a werewolf sat down in the empty seat next to Keith and asked, “What do we have here?” as he stared at Shepard. “IS he a trophy?”
“He’s our prisoner. He wants to give some information to Aldric,” Keith answered calmly.
“Why can’t he tell me, instead? I’ll make sure he’s not too stubborn to tell Aldric the truth.” The Frenchman sized Shepard up. “Though it looks like you two already roughed him up a bit.” His hand reached out to touch the large cut on Shepard’s cheek.
Dan shoved the Frenchman’s hand away, and Keith instantly got to his feet. Keith growled, “I suggest you back off. He’s our prisoner.”
The Frenchman raised his hands in a non-threatening way. He said in a low tone, “You’re quite possessive of him.” His eyes looked to Shepard as he continued. “Almost makes me wonder how he persuaded you two to not kill him.” He turned to leave, then turned back, a smug expression on his face. “Word is that Aldric isn’t in the best mood. Your prisoner better have good information for him.” With that, he finally walked away and into another compartment.
Keith sat down and said, “I hope he’s not riding all the way to Paris. You alright, Shepard? You’re looking a bit pale.”
Shepard took a deep breath. “I’m fine, just a little anxious, now.”
********
A few hours later, Keith and Dan realized that something actually was wrong with their friend. He was shivering slightly, and he had gotten paler. He was also trying to keep his breathing calm and even.
“Shep? Are you alright?” Dan asked first.
Without opening his eyes, Shepard quietly answered, “I underestimated myself this time.”
“What do you mean?” Keith asked.
“I only drink blood when I need to. I know exactly how long I can hold out. I seem to have forgotten the impact of my injuries.” There was a slight waver present in his voice.
“You don’t have any on you,” Keith realized.
Shepard weakly shook his head. “Wasn’t quite thinking about that when Stephen told me that you guys were in trouble.” He stood. “I think some fresh air will help.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dan said, following Shepard. He gave Keith a look that said ‘I’ll handle it.’ Keith nodded in response and let them go.
Dan and Shepard walked through two compartments before emerging out onto the open platform at the back of the train. It was empty.
Shepard leaned forward on the railing, head hung low.
Dan laid a hand on his back. “Shepard?”
The vampire raised his head. Dan pushed up one of his sleeves and held out his arm.
“Dan, I-“
“You need it.”
Shepard loosely grabbed Dan’s forearm and hand. “Are you sure?”
Dan nodded.
“This… this is my first time doing this. Stop me if I’m hurting you.” Shepard waited until Dan nodded before puncturing the skin of his wrist with his now-elongated canines.
Dan grimaced at the pain as his friend’s teeth bit through, but he stayed quiet so that Shepard wouldn’t stop. The actual feeding didn’t hurt, but it was strangely intense.
When Shepard stopped, he looked up at Dan’s face with a concerned expression. “Are you okay? I didn’t take too much, did I?”
Dan was a little light-headed, but nothing else. “I’m fine. Are you feeling any better? You’ve got a bit more color in your face, now.”
Shepard nodded. He was obviously somewhat embarrassed. “I had hoped to never have to do that.”
“Hey, we’re all unprepared sometimes. I’m glad I could help you.”
“Really?”
Dan slightly smiled. “Now you owe me dinner when we get home.”
A small laugh came from Shepard’s mouth. It turned into a full laugh when Dan joined in.
When they stopped laughing, Shepard said, “thank you, Dan. I won’t make a habit of it.”
Dan pulled him into a tight hug. “I’ll be there if you ever need me. Now, we should go back before Keith gets too worried.”
Keith noticed the half-dried blood on Dan’s wrist when the two returned and sat down, and knew what had happened. He waited until Shepard relaxed and closed his eyes before gently grabbing Dan’s forearm.
“I’m fine, Keith,” Dan whispered. “It was intense, but I’m fine.”
Keith nodded as he let go. “Aldric’s not going to be happy that we’re bringing Shep. We just have to make sure that he doesn’t try to keep him… or kill him.”
********
Once in Paris, Keith and Dan kept close to Shepard at all times. All the werewolves walking around stared, but left them alone. Until them weren’t far from the entrance in the French Underground.
A group of three met them. One said, “We were told to expect your… prisoner.”
“Oh, good. No surprises, then,” Keith replied. “Unless you have one for us.”
The three French werewolves were silent as they surrounded Keith, Dan, and Shepard, and took them to the secret tunnel.
As they were taken to the main gathering room, the other werewolves in the complex followed, keeping their distance. Aldric was standing in the center of the room, with Dorian by his side. The leader smiled and clapped as they entered.
Jon, Rachel, Alison, and Richard were brought in, each restrained by iron-strong grips. “Keith!” Dan!” They cried, half in relief, half in anticipation. They looked at Shepard with confusion, but didn’t address him.
Aldric started talking. “Now that we’re all here-“
“Where is Lawrence?” Keith interrupted.
“I wouldn’t worry about him at this moment in time. Now, as I was saying, Raniero is dead. Thanks to his high aristocratic status, it made the news. Congratulations, I almost didn’t think you’d do it.”
“Does that mean we can leave?” Keith asked.
“Not so fast,” replied Aldric. “I want to know why you’ve brought a vampire into our secure home.” To the man flanking Shepard, he ordered, “Bring him to me.”
Shepard did not struggle when he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and pushed towards Aldric. He slowed his breathing to calm himself as the werewolf leader circled around him. If anything went wrong, he knew Keith and Dan would do whatever they could to help him.
“What is your name, vampire?”
“Shepard Smith.”
“Why are you here?”
“I… I will gladly give you any information I have, that you wish to know.”
“Well, that is interesting. Why?” Aldric stopped circling and stared into Shepard’s face.
Shepard found the intensity of the stare too much to return the gaze. He kept his eyes low, focusing on Aldric’s chest instead. He hesitated, not sure of how to answer.
“Why would you betray your own kind like this? There’s something you three aren’t telling me about all this,” stated Aldric. “But, we can get to the bottom of this later.” He pushed Shepard into the restraining hold of a muscular man.
“Keith, your pack seems to not have appreciated my hospitality.”
“Considering that they were basically hostages, I don’t blame them,” Keith shot back.
Aldric sighed. “Rachel and Alison did manage to escape for awhile. We found them locked up in an animal control center. Jon and Richard were smart enough to not try anything.”
“Where does that leave Lawrence?” Dan demanded.
“Didn’t I say not to worry about him? We’ll get to that.”
Keith snorted. “We did what you wanted. Raniero is dead. Why can’t we go home? Is there something else you want us to do? If it’s anything like this was, the answer is no.” Keith looked behind him at the yelp of surprise from Dan as he was grabbed in a strong hold and yanked back. Quickly, everyone in the room had formed a large circle around Keith and Aldric.
“What’s going on?” Keith demanded.
“Assurance that you won’t run while we talk.”
“I wasn’t going to run off without the rest of my pack.”
“It never hurts to have some security.”
“Aldric, I have lost all patience for whatever game you’re playing. You force us to come here, force Dan and me to go to a hostile country to murder someone, and keep the rest of us here as hostages to assure our cooperation.” Keith shouted, “And what the hell have you done with Lawrence?”
In answer, Aldric smirked and slowly stepped backwards.
“Keith, behind-“ Jon warned before a hand covered his mouth.
Keith turned and barely managed to duck the open palm strike aimed at his head. Red-blonde hair filled most of his vision as his attacker whirled around for another attack.
Keith was able to instinctively dodge the next few strikes. The sixth one made contact, stunning him for a second. A second was all that was needed for the attacker to seize him by the neck and yank him close. Sharp claws threatened to puncture his skin.
It was now that Keith recognized who this was. The ridge of fur down his bare back, the bared sharpened teeth, the long and wild hair, and the gold eyes didn’t do enough to obscure his identity.
“Lawrence… What have they done to you?”
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven / Twelve / Thirteen / Fourteen / Fifteen / Sixteen / Seventeen / Eighteen /Ninteen
Chapter 20
There weren’t any problems getting to Marseilles, and onto the train that would take them to Paris.
All the passengers were beginning to settle in their seats, ready for the train to start moving, when a werewolf sat down in the empty seat next to Keith and asked, “What do we have here?” as he stared at Shepard. “IS he a trophy?”
“He’s our prisoner. He wants to give some information to Aldric,” Keith answered calmly.
“Why can’t he tell me, instead? I’ll make sure he’s not too stubborn to tell Aldric the truth.” The Frenchman sized Shepard up. “Though it looks like you two already roughed him up a bit.” His hand reached out to touch the large cut on Shepard’s cheek.
Dan shoved the Frenchman’s hand away, and Keith instantly got to his feet. Keith growled, “I suggest you back off. He’s our prisoner.”
The Frenchman raised his hands in a non-threatening way. He said in a low tone, “You’re quite possessive of him.” His eyes looked to Shepard as he continued. “Almost makes me wonder how he persuaded you two to not kill him.” He turned to leave, then turned back, a smug expression on his face. “Word is that Aldric isn’t in the best mood. Your prisoner better have good information for him.” With that, he finally walked away and into another compartment.
Keith sat down and said, “I hope he’s not riding all the way to Paris. You alright, Shepard? You’re looking a bit pale.”
Shepard took a deep breath. “I’m fine, just a little anxious, now.”
********
A few hours later, Keith and Dan realized that something actually was wrong with their friend. He was shivering slightly, and he had gotten paler. He was also trying to keep his breathing calm and even.
“Shep? Are you alright?” Dan asked first.
Without opening his eyes, Shepard quietly answered, “I underestimated myself this time.”
“What do you mean?” Keith asked.
“I only drink blood when I need to. I know exactly how long I can hold out. I seem to have forgotten the impact of my injuries.” There was a slight waver present in his voice.
“You don’t have any on you,” Keith realized.
Shepard weakly shook his head. “Wasn’t quite thinking about that when Stephen told me that you guys were in trouble.” He stood. “I think some fresh air will help.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dan said, following Shepard. He gave Keith a look that said ‘I’ll handle it.’ Keith nodded in response and let them go.
Dan and Shepard walked through two compartments before emerging out onto the open platform at the back of the train. It was empty.
Shepard leaned forward on the railing, head hung low.
Dan laid a hand on his back. “Shepard?”
The vampire raised his head. Dan pushed up one of his sleeves and held out his arm.
“Dan, I-“
“You need it.”
Shepard loosely grabbed Dan’s forearm and hand. “Are you sure?”
Dan nodded.
“This… this is my first time doing this. Stop me if I’m hurting you.” Shepard waited until Dan nodded before puncturing the skin of his wrist with his now-elongated canines.
Dan grimaced at the pain as his friend’s teeth bit through, but he stayed quiet so that Shepard wouldn’t stop. The actual feeding didn’t hurt, but it was strangely intense.
When Shepard stopped, he looked up at Dan’s face with a concerned expression. “Are you okay? I didn’t take too much, did I?”
Dan was a little light-headed, but nothing else. “I’m fine. Are you feeling any better? You’ve got a bit more color in your face, now.”
Shepard nodded. He was obviously somewhat embarrassed. “I had hoped to never have to do that.”
“Hey, we’re all unprepared sometimes. I’m glad I could help you.”
“Really?”
Dan slightly smiled. “Now you owe me dinner when we get home.”
A small laugh came from Shepard’s mouth. It turned into a full laugh when Dan joined in.
When they stopped laughing, Shepard said, “thank you, Dan. I won’t make a habit of it.”
Dan pulled him into a tight hug. “I’ll be there if you ever need me. Now, we should go back before Keith gets too worried.”
Keith noticed the half-dried blood on Dan’s wrist when the two returned and sat down, and knew what had happened. He waited until Shepard relaxed and closed his eyes before gently grabbing Dan’s forearm.
“I’m fine, Keith,” Dan whispered. “It was intense, but I’m fine.”
Keith nodded as he let go. “Aldric’s not going to be happy that we’re bringing Shep. We just have to make sure that he doesn’t try to keep him… or kill him.”
********
Once in Paris, Keith and Dan kept close to Shepard at all times. All the werewolves walking around stared, but left them alone. Until them weren’t far from the entrance in the French Underground.
A group of three met them. One said, “We were told to expect your… prisoner.”
“Oh, good. No surprises, then,” Keith replied. “Unless you have one for us.”
The three French werewolves were silent as they surrounded Keith, Dan, and Shepard, and took them to the secret tunnel.
As they were taken to the main gathering room, the other werewolves in the complex followed, keeping their distance. Aldric was standing in the center of the room, with Dorian by his side. The leader smiled and clapped as they entered.
Jon, Rachel, Alison, and Richard were brought in, each restrained by iron-strong grips. “Keith!” Dan!” They cried, half in relief, half in anticipation. They looked at Shepard with confusion, but didn’t address him.
Aldric started talking. “Now that we’re all here-“
“Where is Lawrence?” Keith interrupted.
“I wouldn’t worry about him at this moment in time. Now, as I was saying, Raniero is dead. Thanks to his high aristocratic status, it made the news. Congratulations, I almost didn’t think you’d do it.”
“Does that mean we can leave?” Keith asked.
“Not so fast,” replied Aldric. “I want to know why you’ve brought a vampire into our secure home.” To the man flanking Shepard, he ordered, “Bring him to me.”
Shepard did not struggle when he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and pushed towards Aldric. He slowed his breathing to calm himself as the werewolf leader circled around him. If anything went wrong, he knew Keith and Dan would do whatever they could to help him.
“What is your name, vampire?”
“Shepard Smith.”
“Why are you here?”
“I… I will gladly give you any information I have, that you wish to know.”
“Well, that is interesting. Why?” Aldric stopped circling and stared into Shepard’s face.
Shepard found the intensity of the stare too much to return the gaze. He kept his eyes low, focusing on Aldric’s chest instead. He hesitated, not sure of how to answer.
“Why would you betray your own kind like this? There’s something you three aren’t telling me about all this,” stated Aldric. “But, we can get to the bottom of this later.” He pushed Shepard into the restraining hold of a muscular man.
“Keith, your pack seems to not have appreciated my hospitality.”
“Considering that they were basically hostages, I don’t blame them,” Keith shot back.
Aldric sighed. “Rachel and Alison did manage to escape for awhile. We found them locked up in an animal control center. Jon and Richard were smart enough to not try anything.”
“Where does that leave Lawrence?” Dan demanded.
“Didn’t I say not to worry about him? We’ll get to that.”
Keith snorted. “We did what you wanted. Raniero is dead. Why can’t we go home? Is there something else you want us to do? If it’s anything like this was, the answer is no.” Keith looked behind him at the yelp of surprise from Dan as he was grabbed in a strong hold and yanked back. Quickly, everyone in the room had formed a large circle around Keith and Aldric.
“What’s going on?” Keith demanded.
“Assurance that you won’t run while we talk.”
“I wasn’t going to run off without the rest of my pack.”
“It never hurts to have some security.”
“Aldric, I have lost all patience for whatever game you’re playing. You force us to come here, force Dan and me to go to a hostile country to murder someone, and keep the rest of us here as hostages to assure our cooperation.” Keith shouted, “And what the hell have you done with Lawrence?”
In answer, Aldric smirked and slowly stepped backwards.
“Keith, behind-“ Jon warned before a hand covered his mouth.
Keith turned and barely managed to duck the open palm strike aimed at his head. Red-blonde hair filled most of his vision as his attacker whirled around for another attack.
Keith was able to instinctively dodge the next few strikes. The sixth one made contact, stunning him for a second. A second was all that was needed for the attacker to seize him by the neck and yank him close. Sharp claws threatened to puncture his skin.
It was now that Keith recognized who this was. The ridge of fur down his bare back, the bared sharpened teeth, the long and wild hair, and the gold eyes didn’t do enough to obscure his identity.
“Lawrence… What have they done to you?”